Praising the executives leading Aprilia is the easiest thing in the world today. Far harder was defending them not so long ago – at the end of 2024, for instance – when Maverick Vinales, the best-placed rider from the Noale-based outfit, finished the season ninth overall while practically cursing a bike whose performance, in his view, changed dramatically from one circuit to another.
At moments like that, the temptation is to panic and tear everything up structurally - as KTM did, and the Austrian manufacturer is still paying the price for a shake-up that now looks rushed and lacking in proper analysis.
